To Love
by in an alchemist's mind
Summary: A story dedicated to my favourite Fullmetal couple, Ed and Winry! Set in the two years between the promised day and Ed's departure for the west, it's all the events that lead up to his proposal. Mostly rated K or K plus, but may get up to T for language and suggestive themes.
1. Scars

1. Scars

It had been two months since Edward and Alphonse had arrived back in Resembool. Four months since the promised day, since Ed had beaten the living shit out of the bearded bastard, since he had almost lost his brother in the heat of it all. Man, were they crazy.

That was all behind him now, though. Now he could finally relax. Ed had nothing else to worry about; all the homunculi were gone, no impending doom was looming over the country, and he could just... sit back. It was new to Ed, not having to be on the run, not moving forward towards a new goal. New, but kind of nice.

It was a hot summer afternoon. Ed was lying on the couch, a book covering his face. He was in a white t-shirt and some khaki shorts. A bead of perspiration dribbled down his face.

"Ed," a bossy voice asked questioningly, "What are you doing?"

"Uh?" Ed peeled the book off of his face to see Winry standing at the table with a bottle of water, wearing nothing but a blue bikini top and short shorts. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and she had only one pair of gold studs in her ears. Ed blushed slightly. "Well, I was reading, but it's too damn hot to think right now."

She nodded agreeingly, taking a swig of water from her bottle. "Gah, I know." She set her bottle down, then got a gleam in her eyes as an idea came to her mind. "Hey, here's an idea to cool down: why don't we go to the river and swim?"

Ed raised an eyebrow. _Swim__? _They hadn't done that since they were little, maybe eight or nine. Besides, swimming wasn't exactly a walk in the park for him now-he'd just sink to the bottom with his automail leg. Al hadn't even fully recovered yet, so he was in no condition to swim, either. Why the hell did she think it was a good idea for them to go swimming?

Winry could see the skepticism in his face. She frowned. "Come on, Ed, please? For old times' sake?"

Ed grumbled. "Fine," he said reluctantly, "but only because you said 'please'."

She smiled at him. "Awesome! I'll go get my swimsuit on."

Ed's eyes followed her as she left the room. Ed had to admit, for a crazy gearhead, she could be cute sometimes.

Ed marked his place in his book and stood up, stretching. He might as well go put his swim trunks on, too. "Hey, Al!" He called.

Al peered in from the kitchen. "What is it, brother?"

"Go grab your swimsuit; Winry's taking us down to the river."

Al furrowed his eyebrows. "Brother, I'm not sure I'm well enough to-"

"Just stick your feet in the water or something," Ed cut him off. "And what are you going to do here, anyways? It's too freakin' hot." Ed just wanted the three of them to be normal again for a change. Because now things could finally go back to the way they were.

Al was a bit confused by his brother's behavior, but he decided not to protest. Besides, if Winry wanted to go, he didn't really see the problem. He and his brother both went upstairs to change. _Boy__, __brother__sure__is__weird__, _Alphonse thought, observing his brother fussing with his shirt, his hair, his shorts, _getting__all__worked__up__over__a__little__outing__to__the__river__. _Of course, Al knew that Ed had some specially reserved feelings for Winry, though Ed would never admit it. He would be way too embarrassed. And he knew Winry was exactly the same way. Alphonse was especially keen at knowing how other people felt. But boy, those two seemed so childish, even to Al! Acting like there's absolutely nothing between them, even though they both knew there was so much.

Al just rolled his eyes at his older brother. Ed noticed and looked at Al. "What? Did I do something?"

Al just laughed. "Come on, brother, let's go to the river now."

The three of them walked down to the river. It was hazy, and the town was silent because no one wanted to be out in this kind of heat. Winry brought a cooler with drinks and sandwiches.

Alphonse was the first to jump into the water, actually. He ran (well, _jogged_was more appropriate, because he was still weak) right into the water, not even bothering to take off his shirt. He was about waist deep in the water when he turned back to Ed and Winry, who had both stopped in surprise at Al's sudden burst of energy. "What are you guys waiting for?" he called. "The water feels great!"

Ed smiled, glad to see his brother was happy. Then he dashed after him, pulling his shirt off mid-stride. He jumped into the water, making a huge splash. "Brother!" Al shouted, spitting dirt and grass from his mouth. Ed laughed.

Winry set the cooler down on the grass and stripped down to her swimsuit. She turned to find Ed gaping at her with a stupid face on, slightly bushing. "What are you looking at?" She snapped.

Ed snapped out of his entranced stare and blushed harder, not making eye contact with Winry. "Uh, nothing, what would I be looking at, there's nothing there!"

Winry raised an eyebrow, not buying it. _Surely__he__doesn__'__t__mean__that__, _she thought. Even she had acknowledged that she had grown significantly over this past year, when none of her old shirts or bras fit anymore. She now had double Ds, and they were a pain in the ass. So surely Ed at least realized there was _something_there, unless he was stupid. And, for a genius, he kind of was.

Ed quickly turned and dove under the water, probably to hide his ridiculously red face. Al rolled his eyes, and ushered Winry into the water. She followed his orders and ran in towards the two brothers.

They stayed in the water for quite some time. They were laughing and playing-just like old times. You could hardly tell that they had changed at all over these past several years while they were in the water.

But the water masks the scars.

"I'm so tired," Al panted, "Let's get out." He almost fell over walking out.

"Woah," Ed called, picking up his younger brother and swinging him onto his back. He trudged out of the water and dropped him on the grass.

"Thanks, brother," Al said, sitting up in the grass. He reached for a sandwich in the cooler.

Ed sat next to Al, grabbing a sandwich for himself and taking a huge bite. He laid out on the grass, staring up at the sunset. Winry walked up to the two of them, smiling. She really enjoyed her day with her two best friends. Her smile quickly left her face when she noticed something about Ed's appearance-his scars. He had so many. They were all over his body-some she had seen before, others she didn't recognize. There was one particular scar that stuck out to her-one that stretched across the left side of his abdomen, and there was also one directly across, on the left side of his back, too. The scar was gruesome looking; the skin was all white and marred. Whatever had happened, it must have been painful, and, judging by the location, possibly life-threatening.

Ed raised an eyebrow when he noticed the slight distress in Winry's eyes. "What's wrong?"

Winry fell to her knees, staring at Ed's torso. She rested a hand on his abdomen and said, with a quiet voice, "Your scars..."

"Hm?" Ed followed her gaze and noticed what was troubling her. He had never really paid much attention to his physical features, but he figured with all the fights he'd gotten into, he'd have at least take a few souvenirs. But he could see why they bothered her so much. "Oh, uh, yeah, I guess I picked up a few. It was inevitable." Ed shrugged, trying to blow it off like it was no big deal. The way he always did.

Al noticed, too. "Brother, you have so many." Since his body had been at the gate all that time, he didn't have any. He had never really realized... just how much pain his brother had gone through.

Winry's fingers traced the outline of the scar he had gotten while fighting Kimblee in the mineshaft. "What's this from?"

Ed hid his face behind his hair. "It's nothing, just a scratch."

"Just a scratch?! Ed, It looks like something ran you through here!" Winry yelled. _Does__he__really__think__he__can__try__that__on__me__? __I__'__m__a__doctor__, __I__know__my__stuff__. _"There are vital organs here! What happened to you?"

Ed huffed and turned away from her. "It's not that important. I'm fine now, so it doesn't matter."

Winry pouted, angry. Same old Ed, still not telling her things. God, when was he ever going to grow up? What was it with him?!

"Brother," Al noticed how scary the scar looked too, "I don't ever remember a fight where you got hurt like that. How did you get that wound?"

Ed looked up at his younger brother. His face expressed a look of genuine concern. Ed frowned. "Why the hell does it matter?"

Winry turned to look at Ed straight in the eyes. "That wound was no accident, Edward." _Oh__no__, _Ed thought, _she__used__my__full__name__. _"And knowing you, you were being reckless and stupid when you got it. Now tell me how you got that scar!"

_Damn__, __she__'__s__persistent__, _Ed thought glumly. He sighed, sitting up. _She__'__s__not__going__to__like__what__I__tell__her__. _"It was a fight with Kimblee. He was going down into the mines to chase after you guys, so I went to go stop him. But it turned out that he had two philosopher's stones and he blew up the mine, nearly killing me and his two chimeras, Heinkel and Mr. Gorilla. I ended up with a pole in my side." He saw the look of shock on both Al and Winry's faces. "But they pulled it out and I managed to heal myself with alchemy, don't worry!"

Al was shocked. "How did you manage to do that? What did you give up in exchange?"

"Oh, yeah, uh..." Ed looked down and played with his ponytail. "Well, I was kind of all out of options, so I some of my own life in exchange. It took a few years off of my life."

Al's eyes got wide. He was more stunned than upset with his brother, impressed that he was capable of doing something like that. How had he managed to pull that one off?

Winry however, was not impressed. She jumped straight to the yelling, slamming a wrench in Edward's head. "You idiot! How could you do something so rash?!"

"It's not like I had any other choice, Winry! It was either die then or die later! What else was I supposed to do?!"

"How about you don't risk your life in the first place?!"

"It's not that easy, you know! I couldn't let him get to you or the others!" Ed growled at her. Then, with a much quieter tone, he said, "Besides, I couldn't die there. I didn't want to make you cry. I promised you."

Winry lowered her wrench, staring at Ed with the utmost interest. _So__it__was__me__, _she thought quietly, with surprise. _I__was__the__reason__he__needed__to__keep__living__. _

Ed blushed slightly. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

Without warning, Winry hugged Ed, wrapping her arms around his bare torso. Ed's eyes widened in surprise as she, the girl he had known for practically all of his life, did something she had never done before-honestly, truly hugged him, just him, without any tears or fear or any other bullshit. Just a hug, a sign of pure affection. As she buried her face in his chest, Ed looked to Alphonse, confused. Al just shrugged, not knowing what had gotten into Winry for her to be so nice all of a sudden.

Ed looked back to Winry and her long blonde locks. He did the only thing he felt he needed to, what his instincts told him to do-hug back. He wrapped both of his arms around her, placing his right hand on her head, curling her hair around his fingers. Although neither of the two saw, Al gave a nod of approval, a silent _yes__! _in his mind. _Maybe__there__is__hope__for__them__after__all__._

Things had changed after all. There was no denying it, Ed pondered. So much about the three of them had changed, there was probably no way they could ever be normal. Old times were just what they were-_old_times. They had grown out of those days now. They had too many scars, both physical and mental, to go back to being the young, innocent children they were.

So, no, this trip wasn't for old times' sake-it was for new times to be born.


	2. The Way He Looks at Her

**A/N: Hi, everyone! Sorry I didn't put a note in the beginning of the first chapter, but it was two in the morning and it completely slipped my mind that I should have said something about the story. So, this story is basically a bunch of oneshots that are all stringed together on one timeline. They are only loosely connected. This story will mostly just be cute fluffy stuff for all of the fangirls to squeal at. Please leave a review, since this is my first fanfiction! I really hope you like it!**

2. The Way He Looks at Her

A trip to central. As much as Ed knew he should take it easy-hell, he deserved it since he saved the country and whatnot-after five months of sitting around, Ed could hardly take it any more. He decided to go to central and see if there was some duty he could perform. After all, he hadn't officially resigned from the military. He still technically had his collar, still technically a dog of the military.

Ed decided to see the colonel. If he had to work under anybody, he would prefer it be him than anyone else. As much as he loathed the bastard, he was still respectable, and a good, honest man. Ed had to give him that much, even if he had used a philosopher's stone to restore his eyesight.

"No," the colonel said as soon as Ed requested an assignment.

"'No?'" Ed said incredulously. "What the hell do you mean, 'No?!'"

"I meant just what I said, Fullmetal, _no__._" His voice was cold and commanding.

Ed was getting frustrated. "But why?" he questioned. "It's a simple request, I want to help people! Isn't the state alchemist's saying 'be thou for the people'?"

The colonel looked him straight in the eyes. "Edward, I'm afraid you won't be able to maintain your position as a state alchemist." Before Ed could say anything, the colonel stopped him with that clear, commanding voice of his. "Listen, Ed. I know you still want to help people, but I'm afraid you're pretty useless as a state alchemist now. You can't remain a dog of the military if you can't even bite. So, you're being let go."

"Let go?" Ed asked, the incredulous tone still in his voice. "You mean... I'm being cut loose?"

The colonel nodded. "You're off your leash now." He narrowed his eyes at the look of disappointment on Ed's face. "What's the matter, Fullmetal? I thought you said that the only reason you joined the military was to get your's and Alphonse's original bodies back. Well, now you have them, so you don't need to be chained to the state."

Ed sighed. He supposed he was right. Even though, it was going to be different, not being a part of the military. He had spent so much time as a state alchemist, it was hard to imagine life as an ordinary man. Then again, He wasn't really any ordinary man.

Mustang walked over to the window. "Don't worry, Fullmetal. Through my request, you'll still retain some special privileges. You'll still have access to any alchemical research you'd like, although you'll have to report any major findings you may come across to me. You can even keep your pocket watch. I thought you might like to keep it as a reminder." The colonel smiled when he saw Ed's baffled expression. "Consider yourself an honorary state alchemist."

Ed sighed and walked over to the window, too. "So, I guess this means I don't have to follow your orders any more, huh?" Ed gave the colonel a grin. "We can really see eye to eye now." And, standing up straight, Ed could see that he was almost equal in height to the colonel. They _could _see eye to eye, literally.

"Don't get too cocky, Fullmetal. You're also out of a job now." Mustang knew exactly what to say to crush Ed's spirits. Mustang glanced out the window and saw Winry talking to Riza out on the grass. "Ah, so I see miss Rockbell has come along with you. Tell me, have you put the moves on her yet?"

Ed's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "What?!"

The colonel raised an eyebrow. "So... I'm assuming no? You better hurry, she's a really pretty girl. Someone could snatch her away before you get the chance to confess your love."

Ed's face turned bright magenta. He tried to splutter some excuse about how he wasn't in love with Winry, but it all ended up as incoherent noises and strange choking sounds.

The colonel chuckled. Just the reaction he had been expecting. Time to take it a step further now. "Unless... you _have _put the moves on her and you don't want to tell a military official because your behavior has been too _obscene__._"

Ed was a deep purple now. "Bu- Gh, I don't- Ugh, there's no way I would- Agh, that crazy gearhead!"

"You do realize why I need to know, right? You do know that you're still a minor, so any _illegal _actions like that would need to stop." The colonel looked at Ed like he wasn't really buying his story, while surpressing a grin.

"GAH, I WOULDN'T DO SOMETHING LIKE _THAT_ TO WINRY! THERE'S NO ANYTHING BETWEEN US, NO WAY!" Ed blew his top.

"Calm down, Fullmetal," the colonel ushered Ed, still laughing internally. Boy, did he love messing with Ed's mind. "You may still think that it's gross now, but when you grow up, you'll realize that it's really not that bad. Fun, even."

Ed almost retched at the thought of the colonel in bed with someone. _Oh __god__, __why __did __he __have __to __give __me __that __mental __image__?_

"Tell me, if you really haven't put the moves on miss Rockbell, would you mind telling me why you're waiting?"

Ed had calmed down, but the blush remained. "I'm not waiting for anything!"

The colonel gave him a poignant look. "Then why haven't you told miss Rockbell your true feelings?"

"Because I DON'T HAVE ANY!"

The colonel scoffed. "Oh please. Don't try and tell me that bullshit. You love Winry, and everybody knows it."

"Oh yeah?" Ed challenged. "And how exactly do they know?" Ed looked out the window at Winry.

The colonel studied Ed's face. "It's the way you look at her when she's not looking." Ed turned to the colonel, confused. "It's like there's something you need to tell her, but you just don't know how."

Ed looked at the colonel, then back to Winry. The two women outside looked up into the window, and Winry caught Ed's eyes. She smiled and waved up at him. Ed quickly recomposed his face into a smile and he waved back, blush still on his cheeks. When Winry turned away, Ed got that look on his face again, without even realizing.

_No __feelings __for __her __my __ass__, _the colonel thought, looking smug. When he looked at her like that, it's impossible to deny.

**A/N: ****I just wrote this off the top of my head this morning. I had always imagined Mustang and Edward to have some sort of sex talk, so there you go! Anticipate the next chapter soon, since I am currently on break from school and have all the free time in the world to write.**


	3. Maintenance

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, I had a really busy week! Fortunately, We had a snow day today so I had time to write (and start watching Fairy Tail- it's very good, I recommend it!). So, here's a cute little chapter three, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ****If I owned**** Fullmetal Alchemist, Shao Mei would have absorbed the power of god, become a giant panda, and gone all Godzilla on Central.**

3. Maintenance

"Hey, Winry." Ed knocked on the door of the basement.

Without turning away from her workbench, Winry said, "Come in."

Ed opened the door and stepped in. The first thing Winry noticed as he walked in was the strange noise his automail made when he stepped down in it. She scooped up her wrench and turned around to face him. "Ed, what did you do to my leg?"

Ed gulped. _How __the __hell __did __she __know__? _"Nothing! I mean... well, Al and I were sparring, and it got all out of whack."

She wielded her wrench, smashing it into Ed's skull. "Gah, WINRY!" he yelled, clutching his head. "Why the hell do you try to kill me on a regular basis?!"

"Because you don't take care of my automail!" she shouted. "Honestly, Ed, I _slave _over your leg and try to make it the best it can be, but all you do is find ways to break it!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't make it so breakable!" Ed snapped.

Winry growled and smashed a wrench into Ed's face again, knocking him to the ground. "Well, _maybe_ you shouldn't go carelessly throwing it around!"

Ed sat up, groaning and rubbing his head. "I'm gonna have to get rid of that goddamn wrench of yours."

"I'd like to see you try." She gripped her wrench tightly in her right hand.

He stood and sauntered up to Winry, getting dangerously close to her face. They would have been nose to nose if it wasn't for the fact that he had at least 3 inches on her. He grabbed her right hand with his left and pried the wrench out of her fingers with his right. "Hey! Edward! Give that back!"

He dangled the wrench in the air over her head, just out of her reach, no doubt abusing his newly found height. He grinned wickedly. "If you can reach it."

She stretched as tall as she could, but she still came up short. _Damn__, __when __did __he __get __so __tall__? _She jumped. Still nothing.

Ed was suppressing a laugh. "Too tall for you?"

"Stop being an ass and just give me back my wrench!" She struggled to reach it once more. "Damnit!" She tackled him, catching him by surprise. The two tumbled to the ground, and Winry fell on Ed, him cushioning her fall. The wrench flew out of his hand, hit the ground, then spun out of sight.

"Fuck, Winry, that hurt!" Ed groaned and tried to sit up, realizing only too late that she was on top of him. In his struggle to get up, Winry squealed as she was forced backwards, and her legs slipped, quite painfully, actually. Ed's torso pushed into an upright position, and the two of them were nose to nose, Winry straddling Ed.

Winry's face turned bright red, and she flew backwards. A light pink flushed Ed's face. "Uh-"

Looking for a way to change the subject, she asked, "Where did my wrench go?"

"Huh?" Ed looked at his empty hands. "Oh, I guess I must have dropped it when you _tackled __me_."

"Well, help me find it!" She practically threw Ed into the air. _She __certainly __isn__'__t __any __less __menacing __without __her __wrench__, _he grumbled to himself.

The two of them scanned the room left and right, high and low, in every nook and cranny, but the cursed wrench was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, my wrench!" Winry wailed in despair. "That was my only one, how am I supposed to do my work now!"

"Maybe it's a good thing," Ed mumbled. "Now you can't beat me."

Winry turned to him, enraged. "This is all your fault!" She launched a screwdriver at Ed, and it just barely missed him, sticking in the drywall. "And I can beat you with any tool I want!"

"WINRY, THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"

"Get out!" She shouted, breathing heavily, "before you make things any worse!"

"Winry, I-" Ed started.

She launched another screwdriver in his direction, but he dodged quickly. "_NOW__!_"

Ed didn't need to be told twice. He backed out of the room and closed the door behind him, not really in the mood to die. Once he was out of the room, he almost turned back around and went to go try to apologize again, but then stopped. He sighed. _I__'__ll __let __her __cool __down __before __I __try __talking __to __her __again__. _He walked up the stairs.

Winry stared at the door after it closed, still standing in a fighting stance. Then she relaxed and sighed. _Maybe __I __acted __a __bit __unreasonably__, _she thought to herself. Then she huffed. _My __actions __were __perfectly __reasonable__, __he __lost __my __most __prized __possession__. _A Winry without a wrench wasn't a Winry at all.

She turned back to her workbench. _Well__, __now __I __have __to __find __some __way __to __get __all __this __work __done__._

*A FEW HOURS LATER*

"Damnit!" Winry threw her screwdriver down in frustration. How was she ever going to get work done without her wrench?

There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" she inquired.

"It's me. Can I come in?" It was Ed's voice.

"No way, Edward. Go away." She crossed her arms, pouting. She was still mad at him for losing her wrench.

"Come on, Winry!" He protested. "Let me in!"

"No!" She shouted.

"I just want to talk!" he shouted back.

"Well I don't want to hear it!"

Ed was beyond frustrated. He took the time and effort to come to apologize to her, and she didn't want to hear it? Well, he wasn't going to have that. He barged right into her workshop, opening the door and breaking the door frame. "EDWARD!" Winry yelled.

"What's your deal? I'm really sorry I lost your wrench, but you don't need to get all worked up over it." He studied her angry face.

"Don't just come barging into my workshop!" _The __nerve __of __this __boy__... _She turned her back to him. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I'm sorry I lost your wrench." There was sincerity in his voice.

She turned back around, teeth bared. "Are you really that stupid?! I'm not pissed off over my wrench!" She didn't relax her stance, but her face fell. "I'm upset because of the way you treat my automail! I work so hard to keep you standing on the best two legs you could have, but all you ever do is break it!" She looked down, and her shoulders lowered. "It's like you don't even care."

Ed's eyes widened in realization. "Oh." He sighed and pulled out a wrench from his pocket. "Well, for what it's worth, I went out and bought you a new wrench."

She looked up at him, surprised. It wasn't like Ed to go out of his way to do nice things for her. She saw a tinge of pink in his cheeks, a meek smile on his face.

She took the wrench from his hand. It was so balanced, and shiny and new, too. A fine quality wrench that would last her a while. She smacked it into Ed's forehead.

"WHAT THE HELL WINRY, I BUY YOU A NEW WRENCH AND THE FIRST THING YOU TRY TO DO IS KILL ME WITH IT?!"

She laughed and offered him a hand. "Come on, we need to fix your leg."


	4. Invincible

**A/N: Sorry I haven't posted in a really long time guys, I've been so busy with all of my 3rd quarter projects, but that is all finally done and now I'm on SPRING BREAK! I'll try to post at least one more chapter this week. And I have some really good outlines for the next few chapters. At this point, I'm guessing there will be 20 chapters, plus an epilogue. **

**So, I figured since the last chapters were all really cute and kind of silly, I'd write a more serious one. I hope you enjoy!  
**

4. Late Nights

Ed had the terribly bad habit of staying up too late.

He knew he should stop- the lack of sleep was really getting to him- but some nights, Ed couldn't deal with it.

Some nights were fine.

Most nights were nightmares.

Late nights weren't much better, but they were better than the alternative.

Nights, in general, were just not a good time for Ed.

He tried to do things to occupy his thoughts- eat food, read books on alchemy- but his mind always managed to fight the guilt-ridden horrors of his past.

Some nights he'd nod off on the couch or the desk and wake up a few hours later from a nightmare. Other nights Pinako would find him in the morning and wake him.

Ed was beginning to understand why Al couldn't stand all those nights by himself.

Now Alphonse was sleeping soundly in his bed, while Edward was the sleepless one.

_Equivalent __exchange__, _Ed figured glumly.

He wondered how late Winry stayed up working. Late nights could get lonely.

Despite all of this, he still preferred it to sleep- or rather, nightmares.

Winry could see the circles under his eyes. She knew he wasn't getting sleep, and she knew why. She wanted to help in some way, but she didn't know how; Alphonse was probably better suited for the job.

She just wished there was something she could do. She hated seeing him so... sad.

But she couldn't erase the past. She could only wait.

One night, Winry was up late working on Tetsu's new automail leg, and she came up from the basement at two o'clock in the morning. She was just about to head up to her room when she heard a whimper from the living room.

She peered in the door. There was Ed, Laying face up on the couch with a book over his face. He always had his nose in some book. _He __must __have __fallen __asleep __while __reading__, __again__, _Winry thought, a tender smile on her face.

She walked in, studying him. He was much too big for the couch now, his feet dangling off and his head up on the armrest. She remembered when he fit on the couch with room for one more person to sit. He's had a significant growth spurt since he'd come back after the promised day. He was nearing 6 feet, and he was the same height as Alphonse now. Perhaps his theory on shared nutrients had been right. He certainly wasn't drinking any more milk.

She felt it'd be best to wake him; he probably wasn't exactly comfortable sleeping on that couch. She sat on the edge next to him and removed the book from his face.

His expression startled her. His face was scrunched, twitching occasionally, almost like he was in pain. She nudged him gently, and said, concern in her voice, "Ed?"

His eyes flew open, his entire body jumping as the fear in his eyes grew, then quickly subsided. His body relaxed and his expression grew softer when he saw Winry. He rubbed his eyes and greeted, "Oh, hi Win." He sat up.

She said nothing, only stared with alarm in her gaze.

He hung his head. "I'm fine. I was just having a nightmare."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm okay, seriously."

She didn't believe him. She knew Ed had a very troubled childhood, and it was difficult to deal with. Why did she expect him to suddenly be okay now that it was all over? Just because the danger was gone, didn't mean the damage was immediately fixed. He still had scars, like the one on his side; and there were scars you couldn't see, deeper ones, ones that would probably never go away. He may not ever get better.

Still saying nothing, her gaze softened into a sadder, more distant stare. Ed knew she didn't believe him; she knew that he was vulnerable. He covered his face. "I'm supposed to be the one that's brave and strong. But here I am, avoiding sleep all because I'm scared of a little dream."

Winry frowned, folding her arms. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ed cut her off.

"No, I already know what you're going to say. You'll say 'You know, Ed, you don't always have to be the brave one. There's no need to put yourself under that kind of pressure, especially now that the promised day is over. It's okay to be a little vulnerable.' And I know, you're right. I don't always have to be to hero. But I'm so used to always having to be brave, I don't know how to open up."

_Is __he __actually __going __to __talk __to __me__?_ Winry thought, a bit surprised. It seemed like he was trying to.

"I've just spent so much time always on the edge, fighting and constantly being put in danger. That's not something that doesn't leave it's mark, and it's left more than enough on me. I've always had my guard up, a wall to protect me from everything. But now I can tear it down. I'm safe here, there's no need for it, and it's just in the way. But how do I tear it down?" He sighed. "I'm a lot better with alchemy than people. There's no alchemical equation for people's feelings."

A wall, huh? Winry had never thought of it that way. She guessed that was a good way describe Ed: a brick wall of emotion, with the occasional spillover of anger.

Well, if Ed couldn't tear it down, she would have to climb over it.

She smiled at him, and Winry realized that she really did love him. No matter how frustrating he could be, or how much they argued, or how many times he'd shut her out, she didn't care. She loved him and she wanted to be with him. It didn't make sense to her, but for some reason, she knew it was him. He was "the one."

She wondered how many people saw that coming.

Ed looked so vulnerable. It was a big contrast to his usual stony faced self. She could see his emotions spilling out like water flooding after a dam had been broken. His eyes were so big and sad, she realized he was on the verge of tears. She had never seen him so... clearly.

All of a sudden, something snapped inside of Ed, and he threw himself into Winry, burying his head in her shoulder, trembling. "I just want it to be all over, really over, out of my mind. Out of my dreams." He gripped her tighter. "I just want to sleep soundly again."

She wrapped her arms around him, doing her best to comfort him. She had no idea what to say, so she decided to let her actions speak for her. She pulled out his hair tie that was already coming loose, letting his hair fall out over his shoulders and down his back. She wrapped her arms around him, placing one hand on his head and another on his back.

Edward Elric, the strong, invincible Fullmetal Alchemist, hero of the people, conqueror of God, was now reduced to tears in her arms. She didn't know to feel upset that he was sobbing or glad that he trusted her so much. Ed would never do this in front of anybody else, not even Al.

So what made Winry so special?

Ed lifted his head and pulled away from Winry, wiping his eyes on his shirt sleeve. He smiled at her, so sweet it melted her heart. "I'm fine." He sighed, but contentedly this time. "Come on, let's go to bed, it's late." He offered up a hand.

She took it, and they walked up the stairs to their rooms together. Ed even walked her to her room, and hugged her goodnight.

_Maybe __Mr__. __Hughes __had __a __point__, _Winry mused. _Some __actions __do __speak __louder __than __words__. _


End file.
